chief delight is in fine horses, of
which he has forty-eight on the farm. This stock he
raises for the general market. He also gives
considerable attention to cattle, raising from fifty
to seventy-five head annually. A large herd of
Short-horn and Durham cattle, and 100 head of
thoroughbred Poland-China hogs, attract the attention
and challenge the admiration of all visitors to the
farm. The Cascade Creek, a branch of the Weeping
Water, supplies an abundance of water for all
purposes.
The father of our subject was James
W., who was born in Greene County, Pa. His mother, who
was Henrietta Thummel, was born near Bremen, in
Germany. Grandfather Woods came from Ireland. The
father, James W., was a carpenter by trade, and when
twenty-five years of age he migrated from Pennsylvania
to Whiteside County, Ill., and there followed his
occupation. He bought a farm of 120 acres in this
county, which he retained but a short time, when he
disposed of it and removed to Otoe County, Neb., where
he purchased another farm, which he sold, and moved to
near Syracuse, where he had purchased other property,
and where he died in 1870, at the age of sixty-four.
The mother is still living in Berlin, Neb., sixty-six
years of age. George H. is the eldest child in a
family of eight: Alida, the next in order, resides in
Indian Territory; the other children, Adela, Evaline,
Augusta, Laura and Fred, are in Nebraska. Frank is
dead.
Our subject was married in Weeping
Water Precinct, Aug. 29, 1872, to Miss Edetha Clark.
This lady was born near Pekin, Ill. The couple have
six children born to them: Grace, Elmer, Elkin,
Annette, Myrtle and Harlan, who are all at home with
their parents. This gentleman is the most extensive
landowner in Weeping Water Precinct, and is an example
of what pluck, perseverance and economy can
accomplish. His present holdings are the result of his
own efforts, as he has accumulated his entire property
during the last fifteen years, overcoming many
difficulties, not the least of which was the
destruction of his crops by the grasshoppers, which
left him, like many others, with nothing but their
land. But by the good management of himself and wife
they now find themselves comfortably situated,
possessing the most elegant and conspicuous residence
outside of Weeping Water City. The home is surrounded
by a large, beautiful, well-kept lawn, watered in
seasons of drought by water from the farm tank.
Mr. Wood is one of the most
prominent men in Weeping Water Precinct; he is highly
esteemed and trusted by all who know him. He is a
member of LaFayette Post No. 61, G. A. R., at Weeping
Water, was Supervisor for two years, and was a member
of the School Board for six years. In politics he is
unswervingly Republican, and he is also a consistent
member of the Congregational Church.

DWIN
DAVIS, a gentleman who is numbered among the older
residents of the city of Plattsmouth, possesses a
family history of more than usual interest. His
birthplace was Watervliet, Albany Co., N. Y., and the
date thereof Jan. 23, 1812. His father, Stephen Davis,
was born in Merrimack County, N. H., and the paternal
grandfather, Jonathan Davis, a native of the same
State, carried on agriculture successfully and
operated a sawmill on his farm, which was driven by a
fine water power. He spent his entire life in the Old
Granite State and from his farming and milling
operations acquired a competence. He married a Miss
Geddes, of New Hampshire.
Stephen Davis, the father of our
subject, was reared among the hills of New Hampshire,
and when a young man left New England on foot, before
the days of railroads, making his way to Albany
County, N. Y., being assisted in the latter part of
his journey by getting a stage-ride. He was already
master of the trade of cabinet-maker, but there being
little call for the exercise of his skill in this
direction in the new country to which he had come, he
employed himself as a carpenter a number of years
Finally he purchased a farm in the vicinity of
Niskayuna, in Schenectady County, the cultivation of
which he carried on continuously, and also worked at
his trade, remaining a resident of that locality until
about 1837. At this time, leaving his son in charge of
the farm, he removed to Coshocton County, Ohio, where
he lived retired from active

1230

CASS COUNTY.

labor until his death a few years
later. He had married in Albany County, N. Y., Miss
Catherine Shafer, who was born there and is the
daughter of Peter Shafer. The latter was of German
parentage and was born on the ocean during the passage
of her parents to this country. The mother of our
subject died in Albany County, N. Y., about 1820. The
parental household included four children, namely:
Hannah, John, Edwin and Maria, all of whom grew to
mature years.
Edwin Davis was a lad eight years of
age when he was deprived of the affectionate care of
his mother by death. He was then sent to his paternal
grandparents in New Hampshire, with whom he remained
until approaching manhood. In the meantime he
commenced when fifteen years old to learn the trade of
brick and plaster mason at Great Falls. When past
eighteen years old he set out for the Empire State and
was occupied at his trade thereafter in Albany and
Schenectady Counties until 1838, then joining his
father in Ohio.
In making the journey from New York
to the Buckeye State our subject was accompanied by
his family and he purchased a tract of land ten miles
from Coshocton. Sixty acres of this had been cleared
and there was upon it two log cabins. The family took
possession of one of these, occupying it until able to
build a frame house, and in the course of time this
latter structure was supplanted by a handsome brick
residence which at that time was considered something
very fine. Mr. Davis also put up good barns and all
the other outbuildings necessary for the carrying on
of agriculture in a successful and profitable
manner.
Our subject, however, was desirous
of going into the more western country, and
accordingly in the spring of 1851, sold his Ohio farm,
and accompanied by his wife and nine children started
overland for Iowa. They traveled in true pioneer
style, cooking and camping by the wayside wherever
night overtook them. After twenty-eight days' travel
they landed in Oskaloosa, then a place of about 1,000
souls. They sojourned there from July until April
following, when Mr. Davis purchased land one mile from
Knoxville, Iowa, and repeated the experiment of life
in a new settlement. Upon this land also a few acres
had been broken and there was a double log cabin.
After a two years' residence on this farm he removed
with his family to Knoxville. In the spring of 1856
Mr. Davis started overland for Pike's Peak, where he
remained during the summer following, and in the fall
returning to Knoxville, resumed his trade of mason and
bricklayer and employed himself at this until after
the outbreak of the Civil War.
In August, 1862, Mr. Davis proffered
his services as a Union soldier, enlisting in the 15th
Iowa Infantry, being mustered in as a private. He
assisted in recruiting the regiment, taking forty-four
recruits with him to enlist. Not long afterward he was
promoted to Second Lieutenant, but on account of ill
health was obliged to resign his commission in 1863
and return home. Upon his recovery, after about three
months, he raised part of a company which was
designated as Company E, and assigned to the 37th Iowa
Infantry. Mr. Davis again entered the ranks as a
private, was again promoted to the rank of Second
Lieutenant, and remained in the service until the
close of the war.
After being mustered out and
receiving an honorable discharge Lieut. Davis returned
to his old haunts in Iowa, but in the fall following
decided to change his residence to Nebraska, and
removing to Plattsmouth with his family has since been
a resident of that city. He had been married in June,
1832, to Miss Ann Maria Richardson, who was born in
Albany, N. Y., July 18, 1816. Her father, David
Richardson, was a native of Vermont, where he was
reared and married, and emigrated to New York State,
settling in Albany County. He followed the trade of
carpenter a number of years, then removed to
Coshocton, Ohio, about 1839, where his death took
place, Feb. 20, 1866. The mother of Mrs. Davis was in
her girlhood Miss Lucy Stowell, also a native of
Vermont. She accompanied her husband in this removal
to New York and Ohio, and died in the latter State
Dec. 5, 1859. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Davis there
were born twelve children, nine of whom lived to
mature years. These were Joshua, Euseba C., Rebecca
P.; Lucy C., now deceased; Lamira J., deceased;
Rosetta; Jerome, deceased, Lora and Laura, twins; and
three who died in infancy unnamed. Joshua, the eldest
son, during the Civil War enlisted

CASS COUNTY.

1231

in Company G, 15th Iowa Infantry,
and was killed on the battlefield before Atlanta.
Jerome enlisted the year following in the same
regiment as his brother, and both started from
Chattanooga with Sherman's command. Jerome was
mortally wounded in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain and
died four days later. Rebecca married William Kennedy,
who served as a Union soldier in the 1st Nebraska
Infantry and died in the service. Euseba C. married
George W. Colvin and is a resident of Arrapahoe, Neb.
Rosetta married Joseph Keeney and lives in Central
City, Neb. Laura is the wife of Rasmus Petersen, of
Plattsmouth. Mr. Davis and wife have both been members
for over fifty-five years of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Politically he is a Prohibitionist and is
usually recognized as an upright man and good citizen.

ON.
LAWSON SHELDON, whose name stands at the head of this
sketch, is numbered among the largest land-holders of
Cass County, owning 3,000 acres of land, lying mostly
in this county, and divided up into ten farms. Mr.
Sheldon had at the beginning little aside from the
substantial elements of character inherited from his
sturdy New England ancestry, and these have, in his
case, proved amply sufficient for success.
Our subject first opened his eyes to
the light on the mountain side in Ludlow Township,
Windsor Co., Vt., Sept. 28, 1827. He received the
education common to the youth of that day, and
remained a member of the parental household until a
young man of twenty-four years. He had however, for
some time nourished a desire to see something of the
country beyond the Mississippi, and, accordingly, in
September, 1851, set out in company with two of his
acquaintances, Perry Walker and Isaac Pollard, for
California. They made the journey from New York City
by the water route, across the Isthmus of Panama. They
staked a claim in the placer mines, where they
operated four winters, mining also around Mormon
Island on the American River. They met with fair
success, and after a sojourn of a little over four and
a half years on the Pacific Slope, returned to New
England in the same manner in which they had departed
from it, landing at home in May, 1855.
Mr. Sheldon sojourned at the old
homestead that winter, but the year following he and
Mr. Pollard set out to repeat their migrations, but
after crossing the Missouri at Omaha, made their way
to this county, landing in what is now Liberty
Precinct on the 7th of June. Mr. S. at once located a
homestead claim in close proximity to the Weeping
Water, and on section 20 in Liberty Precinct. This
comprised 160 acres of land, of which he took
possession in June, 1856. Soon thereafter, however, he
changed his abode to section 19 as a more desirable
spot, and here he proceeded to build up a home. To
this spot he has persistently clung, enjoying here his
roof tree, while in the meantime he has been gradually
gathering together the possessions mentioned, and
which he mostly in this county, although he has a half
section in Wyoming Precinct, Otoe County. Mr. Sheldon
has made it a point from the beginning to live within
his income and avoid mortgages.
Nebraska remained a Territory eleven
years after the settlement of Mr. Sheldon within its
precincts. A large acreage of the land around him was
unoccupied, and most of the figures upon the landscape
were Indians and wild animals. Possessed of the
genuine pioneer spirit, however, Mr. Sheldon was not
to be dismayed by this condition of affairs, but
having abundant faith in the future of this region,
determined to stay and "grow up with the country." It
is hardly necessary to say that the improvement of the
vast area of land owned by Mr. Sheldon has been
effected only by the most incessant industry, and it
has employed a large part of his time merely to
superintend the operations carried on. Most of it is
under cultivation, and stock-raising forms an
important feature in connection therewith.
Our subject assisted in the building
of one of the first sawmills in the county, and a mill
for grinding corn, which was constructed on the banks
of the Weeping Water, in the spring of 1857. To this
there came for miles around the people, who hailed it
as a real blessing. The first dwelling of Mr. Sheldon
was a log house, and the first set of buildings

1232

CASS COUNTY.

was in keeping with the means and
requirements of the pioneer farmer. In 1857 he erected
his present residence -- sawed the frame and most of
the wood-work from lumber on the farm; the pine lumber
he hauled from Nebraska City. The passage of years has
effected a marvelous change, and the home farm, which
is now transformed to one of the finest estates along
the southern line of the county, is embellished with
comfortable buildings, fruit and shade trees in
abundance, convenient barns and outhouses, and
everything which fulfills the modern idea of the
well-regulated homestead. He has kept his eyes open to
what is going on around him in the world, and is close
and correct in his business transactions, one giving
and requiring what is due, aiming to do unto his
neighbor as he would be done by. He labored most
earnestly for the passage of the Missouri Pacific
Railroad through his region, foreseeing that it would
be the making of it. He put up the first store
building in Nehawka. His son Frank P. opened it with a
stock of general merchandise, and it is the only store
of the kind in the place today.
Joel Sheldon, the father of our
subject, was also a native of the Green Mountain
State, and was born in Andover, Feb. 2, 1801, and was
reared to manhood among the New England hills; he died
March 19, 1875. The paternal grandfather, Jacob
Sheldon, was a native of Massachusetts, and, when
reaching manhood, was married in Wilton, that State,
to a Miss Lovejoy. They removed to Vermont afterward,
and located on a farm which continued their home the
remainder of their lives. The wife and mother died
when in middle life, but Jacob Sheldon attained to the
ripe old age of eighty-seven years.
Joel Sheldon was only a child at the
time of his mother's death, and continued on the farm
with his father until reaching manhood. He was then
married to Miss Fidelia Pettigrew, a lady of Scotch
and German ancestry. They settled in Ludlow, Windsor
Co., Vt., where they lived until about 1869, becoming
in the meantime the parents of six children. In the
year mentioned, at the solicitations of their son
Lawson, they joined him in Nebraska, and the father
died March 19, 1875, when seventy-four years of age.
He was a member of the Baptist Church, a man of
decided ideas and one whose opinions were generally
held in respect in the community where he spent the
years of his active life. Originally a member of the
old Whig party, he later identified himself with the
Republicans, whose principles he supported to the end.
The wife and mother is still living, making her home
with our subject, and has now arrived to the advanced
age of eighty-three years. She is still stout and
hearty, retaining a large portion of her natural
activity. She, like her husband, identified herself
with the Baptist Church long years ago.
The subject of this sketch was the
eldest of a family of five sons and one daughter born
to his parents, and with his younger brother, Amsdel,
forms one of the three survivors of the family. He was
early in life taught to make himself useful, becoming
at an early age acquainted with hard work, and grew up
imbued with those principles of honesty and integrity
which have made him a man among men. He was married
March 19, 1857, after his first-visit to the West, in
Plymouth Township, Windsor Co., Vt., to Miss Julia
Pollard, who was born there Nov. 20, 1827. Her
parents, Isaac and Sally (Conant) Pollard, were
natives of Vermont. The mother died about 1880. Mr.
Pollard is still living, making his home in Ludlow,
Vt., and has now attained the ripe age of eighty-nine
years. The Pollards are of substantial English
ancestry, the first representatives in this country
crossing the Atlantic as early as 1692. They have been
for generations widely and favorably known in
Massachusetts and Vermont.
Mrs. Sheldon was carefully reared
and educated, beings student at the Seminary at
Townsend, Mass., and taught school for some time
before her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. S. made their bridal
tour to their new home in the West, journeying from
New England to St. Louis, Mo., by rail, and thence up
the Missouri River to Nebraska City, bringing with
them their worldly possessions. Mr. Pollard had given
his daughter $100 in cash to set herself up to
housekeeping. Their first dwelling was built of logs,
and covered an area of twelve square feet. The only
place within it in which our subject could stand up
straight was in the middle. In the furnishing of this
there was only required an outlay of

CASS COUNTY.

1233

$20, and thus Mrs. Sheldon was
enabled to place her remaining $80 at interest of
forty per cent. Money at that time was very scarce in
this region.
Mrs. Sheldon labored equally with
her husband in the building up of their homestead, and
he acknowledges that he owns a large measure of his
success to her wise counsels and efficient household
management. In due time they became the parents of six
children, two of whom are now deceased, an infant
unnamed, and Florence, who lived to womanhood, and
became the wife of Louis Todd, of Mt. Pleasant
Precinct. Mrs. Todd died at her home in Mt. Pleasant
Precinct, April 9. 1888, leaving one child, a
daughter, Florence. Another daughter, Gertrude S., is
the wife of Bucephalus Wolph, and they live on a farm
in Berlin Precinct, Otoe County. Frank P. is the
successful manager of the institution familiarly known
as the "Sheldon Store" of Nehawka. He makes his home
with his parents. George L. is a student of the State
University at Lincoln. Vilas P. is also at home.
After holding the various local
offices Mr. Sheldon was chosen by the Republicans of
his county to represent them in the Legislature, and
twice thereafter was made a State Senator. He was
reared, as it were, under the wing of the Republican
party, and, like his honored father, is a stanch
supporter of its principles.

.
E. LEESLEY. The subject of this biography, a man of
more than ordinary intelligence, distinguished himself
at an early day as possessed of the qualities most
needed in the settlement of a new section of country,
and occupies a position in the front ranks among the
pioneers of this county. He comes of substantial
English stock and was born on the other side of the
Atlantic, in Lincolnshire, where he first opened his
eyes to the light Sept. 12, 1850. His father, Joseph
Leesley, was a native of the same county, and the
paternal grandfather was probably a native also of
Lincolnshire.
Grandfather Leesley emigrated to
America in 1851, and settled on a tract of land now
included in the city of Chicago, Ill. He operated as a
renter for a time and remained in that locality the
balance of his life, spending his last years in
Ravenswood. His remains were laid to rest in Rose Hill
Cemetery. His son Joseph, the father of our subject,
learned the trade of plasterer and stonemason in his
native shire, and emigrated to America the same year
as his father, but located at St. Catharine's, Canada.
During his residence of two years in the Dominion he
assisted in the construction of the first bridge
across the Welland Canal and was also employed upon
other important works. He then joined his father in
Chicago, living there and at Ravenswood until 1859,
when those places bore little resemblance to their
present condition.
During the year above mentioned the
father of our subject made his way to Nebraska
Territory and located at Oreopolis, one and one-half
miles above the now flourishing city of Plattsmouth,
which forty-nine years ago gave little evidence of its
present growth and prosperity. The two towns started
up together, and Oreopolis at that time began to push
ahead of its sister hamlet, having already quite a
number of good buildings, a bank, stores and seminary.
In a few years, however, all these passed away, and
Oreopolis is a thing of the past.
Upon coming to this section Joseph
Leesley purchased a lot and erected a house near the
latter named town, where he lived four years engaged
at his trade, then changed his residence to the city,
which gave evidence of undoubted progress and
prosperity. Again purchasing a lot he erected another
house, in which he lived until his death, which
occurred in Nov. 1881, when he was sixty-three years
old. He had lived to witness the wonderful development
of Eastern Nebraska, and contributed as he was able to
the encouragement of the enterprises tending to this
end. He was a man of decided ideas and in all respects
a worthy citizen.
The mother of our subject was in her
girlhood Miss Caroline Allis and was also born in
Lincolnshire, England. She accompanied her family to
America and died at the home in Plattsmouth in 1881,
three months prior to the decease of her husband. The
parental household included eight children. The eldest
son, Albert, is a resident of Greenwood, as is also
the second son, William; J. E., our

1234

CASS COUNTY.

subject, was the third in order of
birth; Sarah is the wife of John Devore, also of
Greenwood; Lottie became the wife of J. P. McPherson
and died in Nebraska City in 1887; Hattie, widow of C.
W. King and lives in Hastings, Neb.; Robert in Kansas;
Lizzie, wife of C. E. Harris of Nebraska City.
Our subject was the youngest child
of the family born in England, and was an infant of a
few months when his parents came to America. He was a
lad of eight years when they emigrated to Nebraska
Territory, and secured his education in the imperfect
schools of Oreopolis and Plattsmouth, winding up with
an attendance of several terms in the State University
at Lincoln. When a youth of sixteen he began working
with his father as a mason during the school vacations
and upon reaching manhood turned his attention to the
nursery, which had been established at the homestead
adjoining the corporation. At this business he is
still occupied, having twenty acres of land in a
highly cultivated condition. His stock obtains a ready
sale throughout this and other counties.
Mr. Leesley was married, May 30,
1882, at the home of the bride in Plattsmouth, to Miss
Lulu Shannon, who came to Nebraska with her parents in
1866. Mrs. Leesley was born Aug. 19, 1859, in Paulding
County, Ohio. Of her union with our subject there are
two children, Earl and Irene. Mrs. L. is a very
estimable lady and a member in good standing of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Leesley, politically,
gives his support to the Republican party.

OBERT
SHERWOOD, who is the leading shoe dealer in the city
of Plattsmouth, with a large and well appointed store
on the corner of Fifth and Main streets, is a man
whose enterprise and marked aptitude for business have
placed him among the most substantial and wealthy
citizens of this community. His personal integrity is
of a high order, and he is justly accorded the respect
of his fellow-citizens.
His father, John Sherwood, was born
in Kensington, London, as was also his grandfather,
who was likewise named John. The latter held the
position of Quay Captain, or Superintendent of the
West India docks in London, and was a lifelong
resident of that city. The father of our subject was
reared and married in his native city, Sarah Adams,
who is supposed to have been born in London also,
becoming his wife. When he was a young man he entered
the English army, and fought in the Spanish War. He
served four years and a half, and then returned to
London to engage in the shoe business, which he is
still carrying on there. His wife, a most estimable
lady, died in 1870. Seven children had been born of
their marriage, namely: William, John, James and
Charles are deceased; Robert, Samuel and
Elizabeth.
The subject of whom we write was the
only member of the family to come to the United
States. He was reared and educated in his native city,
and, at the age of thirteen began learning the trade
of shoemaker in his father's shop, becoming a thorough
master of his trade. He continued to live in London
until 1871, and then, ambitious to see something of
the world and to better his fortunes, he crossed the
Atlantic to take up his residence in this country.
After landing he made his way to Plattsmouth, and
commenced life here as a journeyman in a shoe store,
and was thus engaged for four months, when he was
promoted to the position of foreman in the shop. He
looked after his employer's interests for four years
very faithfully, and then by wise economy had saved up
a sufficient sum of money to establish himself in
business, and he bought a frame building on Main
street, and commenced the manufacture of shoes,
employing a number of hands. This enterprise met with
marked success, and he carried on his business in the
same building for some years, until it was burnt Feb.
17, 1883. During that time he had bought a lot, and
with characteristic energy he immediately set about
erecting his present building upon it. It is two
stories in height, and is commodious and well built;
it is located on the corner of Fifth and Main streets,
fronting on the former street, its dimensions being
22x130 feet in depth. He keeps a large and fine stock
of boots and shoes, and does custom work.
Mr. Sherwood was married Dec. 25,
1867, to Amelia Hitchcock. She was a native of London,
and a daughter of Herbert and Mary (Lunt) Hitch-